Several Florida underclassmen interested in draft prospects
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Gators return to practice on Friday to begin preparation for their Citrus Bowl matchup against Michigan.
For junior cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III it is expected to be one of his final practices on campus. Hargreaves announced after the SEC Championship Game he plans to declare for the NFL draft.
Hargreaves surprised no one.
"This guy's got a long future ahead of him," Florida head coach Jim McElwain said. "We're excited for him."
Projected as a potential first-round pick since after his sophomore season, whether Hargreaves lands in the first round or early in the second round, he has proven his worth in the eyes of NFL talent evaluators.
Dante Fowler Jr. faced a similar situation a year ago as Florida's top draft prospect. Fowler left school a year early and was the third overall pick in the draft. While Fowler has missed his rookie season due to a knee injury, he made a wise decision financially to forego his final season.
D.J. Humphries and Matt Jones also left school early.
Humphries was taken in the first round by Arizona and Jones went in the third round to Washington. Jones, drafted higher than many analysts projected, has turned in a solid rookie season with 758 yards of total offense (462 rushing, 296 receiving) and four touchdowns. The biggest knock on Jones has been his ball security. He has fumbled five times and the Redskins have lost four.
Meanwhile, Humphries is perhaps the most interesting case of the three Gators who left school early last season. Considered a top offensive line prospect since high school, Arizona scooped Humphries up with the 24th overall pick. However, Humphries has not played and could have used another season of development to make an impact as an NFL rookie.
Still, it's hard to argue with Humphries' decision since he was a first-rounder and is getting paid nicely for his professional development.
Several current Gators face the same predicament over the next month: stay or go?
"We're helping them in every way, shape and form," McElwain said. "We're going ahead with everything we can to get help from the league to give us as many write-ups so they can have informed decisions."
McElwain said Florida has more than five players interested in receiving feedback from the NFL Draft Advisory Board.
Underclassmen Bryan Cox Jr., Keanu Neal, Marcus Maye, Kelvin Taylor, Demarcus Robinson, Alex McCalister and Jarrad Davis are considered the most likely to have interest in their draft prospects.
Davis, a junior linebacker who emerged as one of the team's leaders this season, plans to return.
"I'm coming back for sure," he said after the SEC Championship Game.
The deadline for underclassmen to apply for the 2016 NFL Draft is Jan. 18.
If any of the players contemplating their future receive mixed reviews from the advisory board, they can talk to teammates Jonathan Bullard and Antonio Morrison about the benefits of returning to school.
Morrison was injured in last season's Birmingham Bowl and returned to enjoy a strong senior season. As for Bullard, he could be Florida's poster boy for why it's sometimes best to stay. Bullard had the best season of his career after opting to return for his senior season and raised his draft stock considerably.
"That guy, by coming back, somebody ought to do a study on that alone and see where it's at," McElwain said. "There are so many people in these guys' ears now that are telling them stuff that is not true."
